One Tarot Please
by The-J-Project
Summary: With their middle school careers coming to an end, the 3rd year students start thinking about high school. Setting their sights on the high school division at Sakurai Academy, the most prestigious tennis school in Japan, the seniors compete for acceptance into the legendary institution. OCs x 3rd Years (but not an entirely romantically driven fic)
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

"Is that it?" Eiji asked, pointing to a tall glass building in the distance.

"According to the school map it is," Oishi replied, unfolding the paper from his pocket. Narrowing his eyes, he focused on the confusing configuration depicted before him. It was like a little maze. There were winding roads, oddly placed buildings, random ponds, and there seemed to have been no sense of order during its original construction. Even the legend presented in the top right corner was of no help. Oishi couldn't find the majority of the symbols on the map and in honest truth, he was thoroughly lost. "I think we're in the right place," he lied.

"Well, we might as well go check it out," Eiji suggested, skipping off in front. Oishi quickly followed in behind him until they eventually stood before the building.

It was larger than they'd expected, looming over them like a monster. Had it not been for the glass reflecting the blue sky and not the dirt, the building would have seemed a lot more intimidating.

Quickly, Eiji approached the doors, excited to see the world renown facilities that Sakurai Academy was known to possess.

"Ehhhhh?" he gasped, noticing how there were no handles on the doors. Instead, they were flat and smooth, with nothing but a small sensor at the side to open them. "How on earth are we going to get in now?" he whined, slumping to the ground in defeat.

A familiar hand placed itself on his shoulder. "We'll find a way," Oishi assured him confidently.

And, just to their luck, a younger boy came up from behind them. Before he could enter the building, Oishi managed to catch him.

"Excuse me," Oishi began, tapping the smaller boy on the head. He was about the same size as Echizen and Oishi doubted if he truly was in high school.

Turning his head, the boy looked up at Oishi curiously. His red beanie hat swung down in front of his eyes and the boy quickly pushed it back. "Yes?"

"You're going to the tennis courts, right?" Oishi asked, eyeing the white tennis bag hanging over the boy's shoulder. It looked fairly expensive and was definitely not something available in one's local sports shop. Both sides were intricately decorated with detailed embroidery. On the left was the number 2 in the center of a large golden coin, while the word Pentacles in large royal purple letters was on the right.

"Yeah. Do you need some help with anything?" the boy offered kindly.

"We were just wondering if this was where the tennis courts were?" Oishi asked politely.

The boy smiled nicely and nodded. "But you won't be able to get into the general courts to play at the moment. They're currently reserved for the Pentacles," he told them, motioning to the sides of his bag. "We have practice in about ten minutes, but you can play on the outside practice courts if you want."

"Oh no," Oishi said. "We were just hoping to look around. We're both taking part in the entrance tryout and just wanted to see the courts if we could."

"Well in that case," the boy said, readjusting his bag on his shoulder. "You'll need a visitor's card. I'm pretty sure that they hand them out at your dorms."

"The dorms?" Eiji sighed. "We have to go back to the dorms?"

"I'm afraid so. Anyways, I have to go," he said. "Good luck with everything!" He gave them a quick wave and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and removed a small credit card like thing. Then, in one fluid motion, the young boy waved his silver card over the sensor and waited for the doors to open. On cue, moments later, the automatic glass panes slid smoothly apart and permitted him to pass.

"Welcome, Two of Pentacles," a robotic female voice greeted over the speakers. "Please report to court-" Her smooth words were cut by the soundproof doors closing behind the boy, making Eiji and Oishi unable to hear the rest of her sentence.

"Aw man! Now we have to go all the way back to the dorms!" Eiji pouted, making Oishi whip out his map once again.

xXxXx

Sliding his two 100 yen coins into the slot, Fuji gently pushed the third button on the left menu. The vending machine shook slightly and his drink came rumbling down seconds later. He retrieved his selection from the bottom compartment along with his change and effortlessly broke the water bottle's seal. It hissed slightly as he twisted the cap, capturing the attention of the student two machines over.

"Are you Fuji Shusuke?" the girl asked.

Glancing over at her, Fuji firmly nodded.

"Oh good! I was just about to go find you," she smiled thankfully. "I have something I'm supposed to give you before you start tryouts tomorrow." Relieved, she slipped her white tennis bag off her shoulder and placed it flat on the pavement. She unzipped one of its side pockets and rummaged around inside. Eventually, she managed to find everything that she required.

"You'll need this," she said, passing him a device similar to an electric watch. Besides the fact that there were more buttons on it and a larger screen, the thing didn't tell time at all. The only thing that it had in common with a watch was how it used Velcro to fasten itself around one's wrist. "If something comes up or you're needed somewhere, the screen will flash and a message will appear on the screen. But it also serves as a tool for the coaches to monitor you with and measures stuff like your heart rate."

"Okay," said Fuji, wrapping the watch-like machine around his wrist. He looked at the screen and noticed it was already turned on.

"Fuji-san," the girl said, recapturing his attention. "This is the most important thing that you'll need at Sakurai Academy. If you lose it, you will not get another one." She gave him a bronze card and he gratefully accepted it. To his surprise, though, the card was not made of plastic and weighed in his hand.

"It's only covered in bronze," the girl reassured him. "It would be too expensive if they made the cards of solid precious metals."

"I see."

"Well anyways, this will be your all access pass here while your going through tryouts. You can practically go anywhere you want on campus with this card. As long as you swipe it in front of a general entrance sensor, the doors should open up for you," she told him. "Some buildings are strictly for certain students or faculty, so they might not work there. However, that shouldn't be an issue since they're typically labeled properly."

"And lastly," she began. "You're in room 88 in the Eastern residence. Your card will serve as your room key."

"Thank you," Fuji said, taking a mental note of his room number.

"No worries," she smiled. "We're all nervous about the tryouts."

Fuji was a bit shocked. She couldn't have been the same age as him. Fuji knew middle school girls and she was nothing like them. She didn't wear her hair in braids or pigtails, and was taller than the average growing female middle school student.

Chuckling, she shook her head. "I'm not trying out, silly. I'm defending my position from the likes of students such as yourself," she told him, hold back her laughter. "I'm Erimoto Asami, third year high school student, and also commonly known as the Ten of Cups." She motioned towards her bag and pointed at the embroidery on the sides.

"Do you mind me asking what it means to be the Ten of Cups?" Fuji asked politely as usual. He knew there was an odd ranking format at Sakurai Academy, but wasn't aware of all the minor details.

"Not at all. But do you mind if we go somewhere to sit down?" Asami asked, suggesting a bench over to the right. Fuji agreed and the two moved to the bench. It sat below a large tree and was perfectly shaded.

"Now, what did you want to know again?" Asami asked, planting her butt firmly on the bench. She leaned her bag against the side and took a sip from her own water bottle.

"What the Cups were," Fuji reminded her, smiling his usual kind smile.

"Oh yes, the Cups," she started. "At Sakurai Academy there are three major groups in which students are divided into. At the beginning of each year, one's spot is determined based on how their tryout goes."

"So your group is the Cups," Fuji gathered.

"Yes and no," she said. "I'm also part of the Minor Arcana."

**It may be a bit confusing now, but everything will be cleared up in the next few chapters. I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review. I know it's a bit short and choppy, but that seems to be how I write my prologues. Also, pairings are undecided as I need to introduce characters who are around their actual ages.**


	2. Chapter 1 - Application Arc

**~Chapter 1~**

"Jeez, there are a lot of you this year," the coach sighed to himself, staring out at the crowd of students before him. There were over 500 students applying to the academy's tennis program and, as one of the head coaches, it was his responsibility to weed the majority of them out. Looking out amongst the crowd, the large man attempted to predict who would be some of the first to be sent home. As always, like in every single year, there were a few who stuck out. Three of the applicants still had Velcro shoes, one girl was already sweating from the walk over, and another two were chatting away like the upcoming tryout was going to be a walk in the park. Of course that could mean anything, but here at Sakurai Academy, it usually meant that he'd be sending a few home in taxis before the day's end.

"Quiet!" he bellowed, his stomach jiggling in the process. The students fell silent and immediately focused in on him, intimidation leaking from his every pore. "My name is coach Matsumoto and I'll be the one leading your tryout for the next couple of weeks. Now, I'm telling you this now so you don't ask me later. Don't ever, and I mean never, ask me to help you sort out your shit. I'm not going to hold you hand through this process like you're mommy would. Got it?"

"Yes, Coach!" everyone replied in unison. It was almost as if he was in command of his own little army.

His eyes panned over the students and counted them up. Surprising him, there seemed to be an equal number of girls and boys. Usually there were more boys who tried out and it was a little eye opening for him to see just as many females standing amongst them. "Alright," he said. "Pair up you little twerps. One boy and one girl."

He watched as everyone awkwardly stared at each other, their feet remaining planted on the floor. Nobody moved an inch, not even the social butterflies.

"Oh hurry up girls, they don't have cooties," he whined, waving them over. "And what's wrong with you boys? Your hormones should be making you jump all over those pretty females!" Tapping his foot impatiently, Coach Matsumoto waited to no avail. Nobody budged an inch.

Finally, somebody stepped forward. "Ore-sama will lead the way," Atobe announced triumphantly, earning him squeals from some of the females.

"That's fine and dandy in candy land, but it doesn't help if you don't have a partner," Coach Matsumoto said, sighing. "Anybody else have enough spine to pair up with this guy?"

A few girls raised their hands, recognizing just who exactly Atobe was. They'd seen him in a few magazines where he had been featured as one of the richest teenagers in the world. If they were lucky, they knew they could perhaps bag a nice catch with him.

"I'll gladly be his partner," said a confident voice. The crowd parted almost instantly as a girl emerged from the mass. She had on a similar warm up jacket to Atobe's but sported a skirt. And, like the majority of the students who seemed to flow from the luxurious academy, she had the ego and attitude fit for a Hyotei student. With her left hand in her pocket and her right one in the air, the Queen of Hyotei stepped forward. Taking her place next to her partner and her younger brother's closest friend, she gave him a quick smirk.

"Kabaji-san," Atobe smiled, moving over to make space for her. "I didn't know you were planning on coming to this academy for high school."

"Well it has been over a year since we've actually spoken to each other. You did after all kick the girls team over to the old run down courts at Hyotei," she told him flatly. "Besides, it wouldn't have mattered if I told you or not. Am I right?"

Atobe chuckled. "Of course."

"But don't go getting the wrong ideas. I'm not one of your fangirls who is pairing up with you for the sake of pairing up with you. The only reason I'm doing this is because if anyone is going to make it through this tryout, it's going to be Hyotei."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Atobe replied promptly, his own smirk plastered on his face.

"Alright you two, stop your underhanded bickering. Nobody cares about your little spats and crushes here, especially not me," he yelled, pushing the two Hyotei students together and to the side. Taking a deep breath, he shouted for the rest of the students to pair up. Intimidated or terrified, everyone paired up. Whether it was with a classmate or a complete stranger, the majority found somebody to stand beside. Some boys were left over and Coach Matsumoto quickly told them their tryout was over. This of course brought up some complaints, but he explained to them how they had their chance. If they had found a partner when he had first asked, somebody else would be going home instead of them.

As the first few trudged away, Coach Matsumoto reminded the rest of his own words. "I'm not going to hold your hand and push you forward. If you want to succeed, you are on your own. Take every opportunity you can while you're here and make the most of this experience. Remember, you are in control of your own future."

The students nodded together. "Yes, Coach!"

"Good. Now let's move this process along," he said, yawning loudly. "These people will be your partners for the first phase of the tryout. I hope you picked somebody you like, or else your going to have a grueling time. Don't worry though, you won't be rooming with them. You will, however, be practicing and playing with them. A lot of the time, especially in a sport like tennis, success is based on the luck of the draw. You might be in a tournament where you are facing a more difficult opponent and somebody else that you know is in an easy pool. They'll slide into the semi-finals and you'll have to fight tooth and nail to get to the same place. So you better hope that the person next to you will pull through and not be the reason that you're going home.

Anyways, from this moment on, you are all part of the Recreational group. That does not necessarily mean that you are playing tennis for fun. It is just a designation given to students who have yet to crack the more advanced groups. There are already two hundred students at this school who belong to this group. So, just because you don't win all your matches, you can still get into this academy with a recreational designation. Then, you'll have the chance to improve and attempt to be part of the higher groups. However, don't strive to just enter this school at the lowest level. There are some perks to being a member of the higher ups and you don't want to spend your entire high school career without ever experiencing any of those perks for yourself.

As you may already know, Sakurai Academy does not have a specific group of 'regulars' who play in official matches against other local schools or clubs. We do have a group of individuals who play in those types of matches, but they are not necessarily our most talented students. The recreational students play in local matches while the more advanced students play nationally and internationally."

The students listened attentively to everything the coach was saying. They knew that Sakurai Academy produced a lot of talent, but they had no idea what type of intense streaming the school did.

"Sakurai Academy has three divisions or groups, separated by their talent. The first group is pretty much composed of students such as yourselves. Students who think they're hot shit but are really not, are part of this group. You'll get better by practicing until you're bordering death and by facing students from other schools and clubs. Until you can steal the spot of somebody above you, you'll be stuck at the bottom of the totem pole. You'll also be limited to courts like the ones behind me," the man said, moving over so that the students could catch a glimpse of what was in store for them.

The courts weren't that bad. Yes, they needed to be weeded and evened out a bit, but they weren't half bad. The only problem was that there were only two of them for over two hundred students to share. Clearly, odds were already stacked against the bottom students from the start.

"Now, let's get started," Coach Matsumoto began, laughing evily. "You guys look like you need a solid workout."

xXxXx

"Don't lock your knees!" the coach yelled, watching contently over the students as they ran up and down the stairs. His voice echoed loudly in the air and somehow managed to motivate the students. Sakurai Academy was located on the edge of an escarpment and served as a natural punishing tool. There were two sets of staircases. The first had 300 steps and wasn't too bad. However, the second one had 375 and was much steeper. Plus, the fact that there was a distance of two kilometers in between them didn't help either. "You still have one more set to go!"

Panting heavily beside him, Yukimura checked on his partner. She was a lot shorter than him and seemed as if she was bordering on exhaustion. Every step that he took required 3 of hers, resulting in her trailing behind him a few steps. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yep!" she managed to choke out. "Don't worry, I'll finish."

"Alright," Yukimura smiled. He could tell that she was struggling but knew she'd finish. Her evident determination was the reason why he had asked her to partner up with him. As captain of Rikkaidai and overall tennis genius, he knew that one's capabilities were endless if they had the proper determination and drive.

"So you're from Rikkaidai?" she huffed, pulling up beside him.

"I am," Yukimura replied. "How about you Masaki-san? Which school are you from?"

"Seigaku," she confessed. "But I don't play on the school's tennis team."

"Why not?"

She stifled a laugh. "Because there is always too much drama on the Seigaku girl's team. The girls are catty, weak, and seem more focused on the boy's team than on their own. So I decided to join a local tennis club at the start of my second year," she told him, inhaling deeply. They had approached the final staircase and dauntingly stared up at it. "Ready?"

"I should be the one asking you that," Yukimura said, taking the lead.

xXxXx

"How do they look, Asami-sempai?" the young boy asked, taking a seat beside the 3rd year. She was focusing intensely on the new applicants and paid him little attention. "Any of them look like they're itching for my spot?"

"They're definitely more talented than the ones from last year," she said cockily, taking a small jab at the boy.

"Hey!" he said. "I was one of those applicants!" Asami laughed at his slow realization and punched him jokingly. He fell to the side and groaned, picking himself up.

Albeit his size, the Two of Pentacles was in fact a first year high school student. And, unlike a lot of first year Sakurai students, he was part of the Minor Arcana. An ace in terms of net play, only 2 other students in the Minor Arcana were freshmen like him. However, they were doubles partners and shared the position of Six of Wands.

"But seriously, they're good," Asami said.

"Do you think they'll put up a challenge to the Minor Arcana?" he asked.

"They won't be a problem for the Cups, but the Pentacles are a whole different story," she joked, grinning at him. "No, I think we'll be okay. A few of them are talented but the Minor Arcana should be fine. Besides, I'm not willing to give up my spot for some lame first year."

"Well, I'm sure that the Major Arcana would step in if things started getting out of hand," the member of the Pentacles suggested.

"I doubt it. They've only stepped in twice before, and that was ten years ago. I don't even remember the last time I saw one," Asami confessed, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "The 22 of them have been overseas for such a long time."

"I saw two the other day!" he blurted out in excitement. Asami's head shot to face him.

"What? You, of all the damn people at this school, got to see one?" Asami asked, her eyes bulging in amazement. "Which ones were they?"

"I'm not sure. They were just getting into the elevator over at the glass building. I only got to see their black bags before the doors closed."

Disappointed, Asami returned her focus to the applicants. The majority of them had finished climbing the stairs and were starting to work on their core. "So you didn't really see anything."

"I did so see something! I at least saw them!"

"Typical of a Pentacle," Asami grinned. "Always making themselves out to be heroes just because you're all boys."

**What do you think so far? Leave me a review and let me know!**


	3. Chapter 2 - Application Arc

**~Chapter 2~**

"What's going on?" Fuji asked calmly, handing Asami some coffee he had purchased from the vending machine. She thanked him and inhaled deeply, smelling the aroma of the perfectly roasted coffee beans. Taking a sip, Asami was careful to not burn her tongue like she usually did.

"It's probably just the Swords and Wands having their usual bouts," Asami assumed, taking another sip from her drink. "They're a regular occurrence around here."

"I see," Fuji said, staring at the hoard of students piling into the glass building. The two of them sat on the wooden bench across the path, watching the students swipe their cards and enter through the doors.

Asami noticed Fuji's stares and sighed. "You'd fit in perfectly with the Pentacles," she groaned, crossing her legs. She thought that he was different. In her eyes, Fuji was supposed to be a quiet, well tempered boy. However, it was clear as day to her that there was something else behind his friendly façade.

"Huh?" Fuji said, surprised by her comment.

"They're always itching to play a match, the Pentacles I mean," Asami commented. "Just like you are now."

"Oh," Fuji smiled. "I guess I am craving a match."

"It's understandable. When I first applied here I didn't play a single match. All Coach Matsumoto had us do was run up that stupid escarpment," she huffed. "I don't even remember when I played my first match here."

"Yeah, that was sort of tough," Fuji admitted. Even he, who was in excellent shape, had trouble rolling out of bed that morning. He could still remember his legs shaking uncontrollably as he climbed those final steps.

Asami looked at her junior from the corner of her eyes, noting his constant glances at her fellow Minor Arcana members. They were laughing as they passed through the glass doors and didn't hesitate to push each other whenever possible. It was always like that. Whenever practice matches rolled around, the competition for specific courts spiked. And, seeing how the Wands and Swords were playing, Asami knew that everyone would be rushing to get the grass and clay courts. The other ones would eventually fill up as pairs reluctantly accepted that they wouldn't get to play on their preferred choice. However, that would only happen after a few arguments and a handful of dropped f-bombs.

Eyeing Fuji, Asami could see his desire to play. She had felt that same way back in her first year at the academy, when the second and third years dominated the courts. As a first year and a member of the Recreational division, Asami rarely used her racket. The older students of the division were given priority over her and usually got all the practice opportunities whenever the outdoor courts opened up. So, Asami understood what it was like to not be given the chance to play the sport one loved.

"Hey, I have an idea," Asami said aloud, turning to face Fuji. She reached into the neck opening of her black hoodie and pulled out her Sakurai Academy lanyard. Attached to its end was her silver key card which distinguished her as a member of the Cups. The card had an image of a medieval chalice engraved into it and it shone brightly in the sunlight as Asami held it up to him. "How about you and I go have a match?"

"Is that going to be alright?" Fuji asked, a slight concern in his voice.

"It will have to be doubles, but I think we can manage," Asami grinned, linking her arm with Fuji's. "Come one."

"It's quite alright. I'm fine," he replied politely, waving his hands as if to refuse.

"We're going and that's final!" Asami sternly told him, planting her foot down on the issue. "Step up and take advantage of the opportunity. I'm certain that nobody else will offer you a chance to challenge the Minor Arcana for a couple of months. So, deal with it and come play with me."

Collecting himself, Fuji smirked. "Okay. If you're fine with it, I am too."

Asami nodded and dragged him off, proud of him for taking the initiative and agreeing to join her in a match that they'd almost certainly lose.

XxXxX

"Toss me your tennis jacket," Asami said, hanging her own up in her locker. The compartment was small and had enough space to fit her tennis bag, shoes, and a couple of shirts or jackets. He expected it to smell, like all sports lockers did, and was surprised to find that it was relatively fresh smelling. Satisfied that he wouldn't have to do a load of laundry after playing one match of tennis, Fuji passed her his Seigaku jacket and she hung it up on one of the open hooks. They kept their tennis bags, however, and left their school shoes stacked on top of each other at the bottom of her locker. "We'll be playing doubles today. Do you have any experience?"

Fuji nodded. "I've played it once or twice."

"Good, because we are going to need anything that we can get," Asami told him, bending down on one knee to tie her right tennis shoes. She yanked on the laces until they were tight and tied two large bunny ears for a bow.

"But why doubles?" Fuji questioned, wondering why they couldn't just play singles.

"The Wands and Swords are the ones who are scheduled for this time slot, not the Cups or Pentacles. If we want to have a match, we'll have to get one of the pairings to agree," Asami told him flatly, double knotting her other shoe. "And, chances are, they'll only want to play doubles."

"Why is that?" asked Fuji, still not totally clear about the 4 subgroups of the Minor Arcana. "Do they not like playing singles?"

Asami chuckled and shook her head. "It's not that they don't like playing it, it's just that they never do."

"Oh."

"It's more so tradition than personal taste. As part of the Minor Arcana and Sakurai Academy, tradition, success, and prestige are the most important things. The second division, or the Minor Arcana, is divided into four subgroup. Each one, comprised of 10 regular members and 4 court members, traditionally specializes is something different. Pentacles is for male singles, Cups is for female singles, Swords is for doubles, and Wands is for those crazy kids who like playing mixed doubles," Asami told him. "You'll find out more when you want to officially challenge someone for their spot in the Minor Arcana. But until then, we're just the mismatched pairing of the Ten of Cups and her applicant buddy."

"Applicant buddy?"

"Just go along with it and let me have a moment of glory before we go and get our butts whooped."

xXxXxX

"Game and match, Three of Swords pairing."

"Whooooooo!" howled two boys, fist pumping simultaneously to each other. "Another win in the bag! The Six of Swords suck!"

"Oh shut up your dorks," commented a girl from another pairing as loudly as she could. She was sitting beside a taller male on the other side of the room and was feverishly typing away on her laptop. Her screen reflected in the lenses of her glasses and, if focused on intensely, one could spot how fast she was flying through her work.

"Don't be such a buzz-kill, Queenie," one boy retorted, sticking out his tongue at her like an elementary student. "It's not a rule that we can't celebrate after destroying our opponents. Besides, you shouldn't care so much about people who aren't in your own group."

"I don't, especially not about you," the girl replied sharply, throwing him a dirty look. "But I'm handling some registration documents for the Wands and you're disrupting me. So shut the hell up."

"Registration documents, what for?" asked the boy, kicking the face of his racket with the toe of his foot. "There are no national tournaments coming up soon."

"I know that, stupid," she spat, closing her laptop. "As the current Queen of Wands, it is my responsibility to register the other members of my group for the interschool challenges next month."

"So what? They're a month away," the boy said.

"Yeah, but I'm taking all the time slots later on in the day. So, unless you plan on playing a match at 6 in the morning against a Recreational student, I suggest you get your court members to hurry up and schedule some afternoon time slots. After all, your position in the Minor Arcana is at stake with these matches," the girl grinned, aware that she'd won the argument. But as a member of her old middle school's debate team, the Queen of Wands was quick witted and tongued. So it was never a doubt that she wouldn't be bested by some young second year brat.

xXxXx

"Don't touch any of my stuff," Kabaji Mei said, unlocking her door so Atobe could enter. He agreed and she let him pass over the threshold.

Two feet in, Atobe stopped dead in his tracks. Spread about the room, covering every possible inch of the floor, was Mei's things. She had clothes on the floor, her electronics lying on her bed, and a pile of her hair things had practically just been dumped on her desk.

"How is it possible to not touch a thing?" Atobe asked, picking up her pajama shirt and tossing it to the side. A look of disgust consumed his face as he realized how messy Kabaji's sister was. "Your entire suitcase is on the carpet."

"I like be able to see me things. Is that going to be a problem?"

Atobe glanced at a pile of clothing in the corner, assuming that it was supposed to be Mei's makeshift hamper. "No, it's not my room."

"Then shut up about it."

Atobe laughed and cleared the bed, taking a seat on the bottom corner. He had thrown her covers, along with everything on top of them, onto the floor. "See, it's not a problem," he said, knowingly teasing his partner.

Mei looked at her things on the floor momentarily and shrugged. "They would have ended up there anyways," she told him, trying to prove that whatever he was doing didn't bother her at all.

xXxXx

"A challenge from the Cups?" the Queen of Wands asked, surprised that such a thing came up. Outside of formal competitions, nothing was usually ever scheduled between the singles and doubles groups. The singles played the singles and the doubles played the doubles, but it was rare that they ever crossed paths unofficially.

"An informal match," Asami corrected. "I'm just trying to help out one of the applicants."

"At the expense of the Wands and Swords? You do realize that you're requesting to have a match on our practice time," the Queen pointed out. She wasn't fond of having practice time wasted, especially on somebody like a simple applicant.

"Oh let them play, you uptight grandma," said one of the boys from the Three of Swords. "You're not the one in charge here."

"And neither are you," she shouted back. "Besides, you had your match. You'll be infringing on other people's time if you have this match."

"I'm sure nobody would care. We have the place booked out for the entire day and it's only a one set match. How long could it possibly take?" the boy reminded her. "I don't mind them playing a match."

"Well I do," she replied swiftly.

"Yeah, but like I said before, you're not in charge."

Fuji looked confusingly at Asami and whispered in her ear. "Is there no captain that we can ask?"

Asami shook her head and softly answered him under her breath. "Everyone is equal in the Minor Arcana. Normally you'd think that numerical order would indicate rankings, but it doesn't in our school."

"Then who makes decisions?"

"Clearly, nobody does," the boy interjected, smiling at the Fuji and Asami. "Yeah, we can hear you."

"So who makes decisions?" Fuji repeated, addressing everyone this time around.

"We normally aren't put in a position where we need to make them," the boy replied. "So we pretty much do whatever we want. The courts think that they should have the authority to make them since they're the ones who handle all the paperwork and manager responsibilities, but they don't. Even though my position is that of the Three of Swords, it doesn't mean that I'm better or worse than any of the Swords with numbers above or below me. It just happens that in the interschool challenges I selected to play against the old Three of Swords and not somebody else."

"In all honesty, the old Three of Swords could have been the weakest pairing in the entire subgroup and those two just happened to challenge them. The fact that there are no official rankings makes it a toss up when it comes to the interschool challenges," Asami told Fuji. "It's all about the luck of the draw. You might unknowingly challenge the toughest opponent and lose, while your best friend challenges the weakest and gets a spot in the Minor Arcana. But since we don't practice with the Recreational Division, they don't know who is the strongest or weakest."

"Exactly," the Queen said aloud. "And we need to keep it that way. By allowing those two to play puts us all at risk. He could easily go back to his dorm and tell his division the strengths and weaknesses of each of our members. Then, with this information, they might be able to usurp some of you at next month's challenge. Is that what you want?"

The Swords and Wands shook their heads. Being part of the Arcana was everything in the tennis department of Sakurai Academy and many of them had only just cracked it. If anything, they'd do whatever it took to keep their spots. And, if that meant that no applicant could play them until next month's competitions, then that was how it was going to have to be.

"I thought so," the Queen said in a snobbish tone.

"But it's just a practice match," Asami said, still trying to persuade them.

"No is no, Ten of Cups. The Swords and Wands deny your request for a match," the Queen said sharply. "If you wish to help the boy out, do it on your own time and with your subgroup members."

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